Hatred that bloomed
by Aralka
Summary: He hated everything about her. She hated everything about him. Then how did it happen that they were in love with each other? You know what? They hated it too.
1. Chapter 01: Not exactly a smooth start

Well, a Shikamaru and Ino relationship from a different angle. Let's see how this story turns out to be...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Shikamaru, this is Ino Yamanaka." 

Five-year-old boy looked with mild interest at the little girl, hiding behind her father's leg. He looked up to his own dad with questioning look, then focused on the small blonde again. She peeked at him with quiet curiosity and that characteristic, childish shyness, while her father tried to unwrap thin arms from his leg.

The boy heard his father telling mom this morning that they'll be having guests for dinner- but he never mentioned that there will be a little girl too. A fragile looking blonde with big, blue eyes who was currently gently pushed towards him by her father.

"Go outside kids and play a little on the sun." His father opened the kitchen door, showing an entrance to the big, grassy garden. The Nara obediently went outside, wondering briefly what should he do next and the Yamanaka quickly scurried, glancing with small fascination and fear at the scarred face of a bearded man. With comparison to her own dad- who had smooth facial skin and a long, blond ponytail- Shikamaru's father had to be equal to a monster from other planet.

"Shikamaru, be nice to her, she's such a sweet girl!" He could hear his father shout at the children, already few steps in the garden. The pale skin on Ino's face colored a little and she smiled happily, while Shikamaru groaned inwardly. They had to stick to his garden strictly- if they went out on a playground, his friends would have a fit, watching him playing with _a_ _girl._

As the door behind them shut, the girl instantly forgotten her shyness and turned to the boy. "What are we going to do?" she asked excitedly, smiling a wide grin. Unwillingly, Shikamaru found his lips quirking upwards as well.

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"Well...we could play house...I'll be a mommy and you'll be a daddy!"

His smile fell, replaced by a look of annoyance and embarrassment. "No way. I'm not playing any girlish games." He said stubbornly, shoving hands into pockets and bending his head slightly. His body reminded of a deer in defense pose, ready to fight if necessary.

Of course, Ino didn't know that. "Well, I'm not playing any of your stupid boyish games!" She crossed her arms on her chest and glared at him. He stifled an yawn, waiting for her next move.

"If you don't want to play house we can collect flowers."

"How about watching clouds?"

That caught her interest. "What's it about?"

He scratched his head, realizing how stupid this will sound to an energetic, ordinary child. "Well...we lie on the grass, even right here and just...watch the clouds." He watched how she made a pout with rosy lips.

_Cute._

"That's so boring. I want to play house or collect flowers!" She stamped her foot on the ground and huffed with anger.

_Not cute._

"Come on, watching clouds isn't that bad...you can...uh, guess the shapes of clouds and all... It's not bad!" Just now he noticed what a perfect weather it was for a session of cloud watching. If only he could persuade her...

"I want to play house or collect flowers." The blonde replied, scowling horribly. He made a show to appear a stoic, unaffected male on the outside. However, on the inside, he was very unease at the temper she'd shown.

"Alright, let's do like this: you'll play house, collect flowers or whatever and I'll go cloud watching. How does that sound?" _Perfect_, he thought trying to compromise. That simple way they both get what they want.

His companion wasn't satisfied. "I don't want to do it all alone. It'll be boring that way."

"Too bad because I'm not going to do it with you." He growled, his patience snapping. The clouds still continued to pass as they talked. He also crossed his arms on his chest stubbornly.

An evil smile appeared on her lips. "Oh yes you will."

He quirked his eyebrow. "Really? How's that?"

"Your dad ordered you to be nice to me." A triumphant expression appeared on her face, as if right now she solved all global problems.

"I am being nice. I'm allowing you to do whatever you want; isn't that nice?" He replied, watching the look on her face turn into a bewildered than irritated. She gritted her teeth a little; he could hear it and briefly wished she'd chop one or even two.

"Fine then." Before he could respond to the statement, he felt a hard push on his chest...and the next thing he knew, he was falling on his back.

He could feel mud (it was raining recently) splash all over his body and two small hands in his hand, pulling the ponytail. Survival instincts kicked in and his limbs began thrashing around aimlessly, before he got a hold of himself and shoot upwards.

Panting, Ino stood in front of him, her hands covered in mud as well as her blue dress. She had a furious, almost wild expression on her face and small tears were falling down her cheeks. Shikamaru felt his breath get caught in his throat, all insults forgotten.

"Fine then." She repeated, turned around and stomped towards the flowery part of the garden. Shikamaru glared with hatred at her retreating form.

_Serves her right, stupid pig! _

With a sigh, he looked over his clothes. All covered in mud. He winced as he felt his ponytail terribly messed and dirty.

_Troublesome._

Sighing again, this time heavier, he fell on his back and watched the passing clouds. A small pang of guilt made him wonder if he should go after the blonde, but then decided it wasn't worth it. If she got hurt, well, it's all better to him.

"This is for you, Mrs. Nara." A messy bouquet was handed towards the dark-haired woman, held by small, pale hands. Ino was standing on her toes, smiling gleefully and with slight embarrassment, her eyes shining at the surprised female.

"Oh, thank you so much, dear!" She took the flowers and smelled them, with a smile on her face. "They're beautiful...Thank you very, very much." Her hand caressed smooth blonde hair and her brown eyes turned a little worried. "But...you're all covered in mud! Oh, did you go through this much just to give me flowers? You didn't have to..." She bent down and kissed the obviously happy girl on the forehead. Shikamaru glared at the two females.

_Heh, look at her now. All happy-go-lucky. Idiot._

He felt his mother's gaze turn into steel when she looked at him. "And why are you that muddied, Shikamaru?" She asked suspiciously, with held back anger. "What were you doing, rolling in the mud like a pig? I guess that's possible, all you do every day is lay on that field..." The boy chose to remain silent, not looking at Ino who smiled innocently when Inochi glanced suspiciously on her.

The guests left shortly after and the small Nara was placed in the bathtub, where his mother scrubbed his scalp furiously, all the time ranting how much work she's forced to do because of him.

Later, when she brushed his long, dark bangs and he winced at every knot, she started cooing over the little Yamanaka brat, emphasizing how sweet she is, just because she gave her flowers. He snorted quietly, biting on his tongue to prevent himself from saying anything.

When he was about to fall asleep, Shikamaru came to a conclusion that Ino Yamanaka was a person he truly hated, from the bottom of his heart, with ever fiber of his being. And that he doesn't want to have anything to do with her, never ever.

* * *

Ouch. Not a smooth start, is it? Let's see how it develops in the next chapters...REVIEW! Your opinions always make me all happy! 

I am very unsure when it comes to this story. At first I thought OMG, this is too OOC! But then I thought how many fics have **Sakura** and **Sasuke** hating each other? I mean, Sakura loves Sasuke, she wouldn't hate him. And Sasuke hates only his bro, Itachi. How OOC is that?

Hate that turns into love matches ShikaIno pairing much more. That's how I feel.


	2. Chapter 02: Flowers and hidden meanings

A/N: Oh my god, this chapter was so hard to write. Actually, I posted it few days ago but then I re-read it and was all like 'Gyah, so stupid and crappy!' so I deleted it after a day. Here's the re-written version. It's better, I think.

REVIEW! Oh, and I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Fortunately for the Nara mastermind, the bossy blonde didn't seem to take a linking to him as well. During next six years, the two of them rarely met, nevermind talked to each other. They drifted through childhood years, apart from each other, as if they never met.

* * *

"There are sure a lot of flowers in the world, right mommy?" Small blonde asked her mother, happily dangling legs on a too high chair and thoughtfully sucking on a lollipop at the same time. Her mother didn't even look up from arranging a bouquet for some customer.

"Yes, sweetie. And each flower has a meaning, which also depends on a color. For example," slender hand, an older version of Ino's, picked up a random flower. "Roses, in general, associate with emotions such as friendship and love. A red rose means desire, passionate love. However, light peach roses signify modesty or friendship."

Ino listened eagerly with wide eyes. When her mom finished explaining the meanings of various types of roses and silence fell on them, she looked around again.

Flowers weren't just mere plants to the little girl, anymore. No, each of them was unique, meant something else. She remembered her mother's explanation on roses and colors and her child's brain did it's best to remember it.

Her gaze spotted one, white weed, clearly by accident plucked among big bunch of fresh, brightly red blossoms. She gracefully slid down on the floor, trotting towards the fascinating sight. Her hands gently reached to pat purely pale petals.

"Mommy, what does this flower mean?" she asked. Her mother looked briefly towards the bouquet.

"These are Tiger Lilies. They symbolize wealth, pride and prosperity." Ino's gaze tore from the small bud in middle of blooming. She looked at the surrounding plants instead.

They were big and unusual, she noted. Very intense red, with dark spots and those long parts that grew from the inside...

Ino shuddered a little. She could understand why they were called 'Tiger Lilies'. In full bloom, they did resemble a tiger's mouth, just like the one in that picture book daddy brought her.

Feeling scared more and more, the blonde looked at the white sprout again. She felt better and, plucking it out, rushed to her mother to show it.

"Mommy, I meant this one. What is it?" Her mom looked closely at the small plant. She smiled slightly. "That's a daisy. I had to pick it up by accident from our garden. They're practically everywhere..."

Ino looked at it again, feeling some of the fascination for the daisy disappear. Now, away from those bright petals, it looked kinda plain. Average, nothing special to look at.

"It seemed something more than just a field flower..." She grumbled, disappointed. Her mother chuckled, ruffling her short, blond lock a little.

"You know, sweetie, when the daisy is in the bouquet full of tiger lilies, it becomes special and beautiful. And the meaning is not so ordinary too." Something shone in those smart, light gray eyes when she saw that her daughter was listening intently, every word going straight into the child's heart.

"What's the meaning?"

" Innocence, loyal love and truth." Blue eyes clouded with disappointment.

"Only that? Roses are more special, they mean real love..." The small flower was given a look full of regret and antipathy.

"It's not 'only that,' Ino, dear. Passionate love isn't always the true one. More than passion, truth and loyalty are important. You'll see it someday, I hope." Ino grinned and looked at the flower fondly, stroking newly developed, white and pink petals.

"Did you see it with daddy?" she asked innocently, watching with mild surprise as pink hue grazed her mother's cheeks.

"We'll talk about it a little later, alright dear?" Ino nodded obediently before handing the little flower to her parent. "Take care of it while I'm gone, alright, mommy? I need to go somewhere..." She glanced at the clock, reading the time with some difficulty. Her hand went to the pocket, feeling familiar green ribbon tucked inside this morning.

"Of course, dear. Just don't stay too long, alright?" The girl was already opening the door. "Where are you going, anyway? It's almost sunset."

"To see some girl I met yesterday. I promised." Her mother smiled warmly at this, watching the girl run away. Ino was always so open and friendly with everyone. No doubt it'll be a friendship for lifetime.

And no one felt doubtful about it as well, whenever they caught a glimpse of pink and pale blond together, smiling with glee. Two girls continued to spent everyday with each other, they changed and developed. They were like sisters, with Ino being the older, protective one.

* * *

Until, one day, everything changed.

"Come on, Sakura! Just for one second, please!" Ino dragged her friend, who was struggling, albeit slightly, towards the academy window.

"No, Ino-chan! He'll see us and it'll be so embarrassing! You know how boys are..."

"He's different!"

Two girls reached their destination and, standing on toes, glanced inside the almost empty room. One, lonely figure was sitting at the desk, reading a scroll. He didn't notice two pairs of curious eyes watching him or at least pretended not to.

The blonde heard her friend gasp and she smirked. Sasuke Uchiha looked very impressive as always and she too, was shocked when she saw him for the first time. Rare for boys in their age to be like him; silent, distant and cute. Always serious, never playing around doing stupid jokes or whatever.

Suddenly, the said boy glanced their way and Sakura hid under the window, obviously ashamed. But not Ino.

The Yamanaka watched with pleasure his deep, onyx eyes and cold look on his face before he returned to reading his scroll, ignoring the blonde.

She admired the way dark blue would make his dark hair seem a little bluish. Her heart pounded inside her chest and cheeks reddened as she made a deep breath, whole body almost trembling with admiration and affection.

Sakura watched carefully Ino's expression, her own green eyes narrowing.

And the ten-year-old Yamanaka Ino was sure she was in love.

* * *

The end happened few days later, after Sakura officially declared her crush on the Uchiha prodigy, among their fellow female friends. After that, Ino felt that something is wrong, very, very wrong.

"Ino-chan...You like Sasuke-kun as well, ne?" They were sitting on the bench, just before departing to go home. There was no one nearby.

Silence was her reply but obviously Sakura saw the truth as she chuckled bitterly. "You do, I knew it from the beginning." Somewhat ashamed, Ino looked at her feet.

"You do realize we can't keep it up then, ne?" Alarmed, the blonde looked up at her companion. Sakura's eyes were focused on the space in front of her. She refused to meet the pleading gaze of blue orbs.

"From now on, Ino...we're rivals." Simple statement was made, efficiently concluding everything that was meant to say. Ino didn't respond, choosing to watch as Sakura walked away from her and out of her life, only to return as heartache.

Tears were starting to slowly pool inside her eyes and lips trembled a little. She cried quietly, trying to calm down a bit. Nothing worked.

It would've been so easy if Sakura was the only reason for the young girl's tears. No, Ino's feelings were much more complex. Even though the Haruno child was very close to Ino and she treasured her as a friend greatly, the pink-haired girl wasn't a reason so important to cry about.

Because, as her _former_ best friend walked away, she not only slapped in the face Ino's friendship. Sakura Haruno, walked out of her life, carrying Ino's love for the Uchiha prodigy.

Because right now, it hurt too much to love Sasuke like she used to. Too many painful memories, regret, hurt...It was simply too much for the still growing girl.

All that she could feel now, were hurt, loneliness and longing after good, old times. All that thanks to a certain future medic, who was oblivious to what she destroyed.

There's nothing more tragic than love that never has a chance to bloom or so they say.

An innocent and true feeling that had a chance to blossom into real love one day, that pure, honest feeling died, leaving an empty spot inside her heart. To be more precise, it turned into unbearable pain of regret and a dare for Ino not to give up and continue with life.

In short, Sakura took away Ino's ability to truly love Sasuke.

And that...that was just too cruel.

* * *

As if fate controlled his path, Shikamaru chase that exact moment to enter the place where Ino was sitting, wiping the rest of her tears, staring dumbly at him.

Shikamaru Nara's childish hatred towards Ino managed to dismiss over the years, when he didn't see her so often. The only information he got about her, were the gossips his father told his mother, probably hearing it from Inochi. Not like it interested him, anyway.

He still could feel dislike for the bossy blonde, however it was hard when she was sitting there, looking so...so...vulnerable.

The antagonism wasn't strong enough to stop him from coming up to the girl and gently inquiring what's wrong.

As soon as the cause of her distress became known for Shikamaru, he became confused. He was just a plain boy, one of those that are all around you. He had his bunch of friends where such drama wasn't present in any kind. He honestly didn't know how he could possibly comfort the Yamanaka child.

Seems like talking about it, only made it worse. New tears appeared.

Shikamaru awkwardly patted the blonde head, absentmindedly noting how soft her hair felt.

"Don't cry...there are many other girls that like you." That was true; whenever he saw her, she seemed to be surrounded by group of friends.

Ino hiccuped, focusing her whole attention on the boy beside her. "How about you?"

"Huh?"

"Do you...do you like me, Shikamaru?"

The boy stared at his feet, scowling slightly. He couldn't possibly tell her how he hated her, from the first time they met. No way.

He glanced at her and saw that she was waiting for an answer, holding her breath. He sighed.

_Troublesome..._

"Yea, I like you." His gaze averted to the ground again, in quiet shame.

Something shone in her eyes and a small, hopeful smile appeared on her face. "The way I am?"

Giving up, Shikamaru nodded. "Yea."

"Say it."

"I like you the way you are." The boy lied shamelessly before standing up and strolling home, binding a quiet goodbye to his companion.

Ino smiled, watching him go with both hands stuffed deep inside his pockets. It still hurt a lot, but somehow...she felt like she could live through it.

Because, unlike Sakura, Shikamaru will come back to her, to assure that she has something to live for.

Because, unlike Sasuke, Shikamaru wasn't lost to her. Even if she didn't love him- it felt nice to feel his support for staying the way she is.

Because he said that he liked her the way she was. And if he liked her that way, why shouldn't others feel the same?

_I'm not alone,_ Ino realized, staring with gratefulness at the figure disappearing in the distance. _I have daddy, mommy and my other friends._ She paused in her musings for a while.

_Why haven't I think about it before?_ She shook her head, looking at the wet sleeves. Just to be sure, she wiped her eyes again

Even if the pain was still inside her, pulsating with every beat of her heart, Ino was a little happier.

* * *

Happy was the last word that could be used to describe Shikamaru. He was everything but happy. You see, if there was a thing Shikamaru hated more than the troublesome Yamanaka Ino, it was lying and liars, in general. When people deceive other people, just because they can't grow balls to tell the truth- that's just beyond pathetic. Liars are most troublesome of all people, because you waste time by believing in the lie, and then you have to find out the truth as well. Too much hassle.

And he just lied.

Oh, the irony.

Hatred was bulging within him, hatred he felt as a child coming back with full force, twice as strong even. Make that three times stronger, actually.

Not only she made him a liar- _a liar!_ - But also she made it impossible to blame her for his lies. No, Shikamaru blamed himself for being too weak and cowardly, although Yamanaka Ino was the cause of this. She was his weakness.

What's worse, whenever he remembered her smiling face (for some reason, it was inside his mind all the time) she made the so _obvious _lie not sound like a lie _at all_.

Even Shikamaru, in the deepest depth of his genius mind, had doubts if the words_ 'I like you the way you are'_ were actually a lie. Not like he'd ever admit it, no.

Although, the most important reason why he hated her, was the ache the Nara felt, seeing pain in blue orbs and sign of tears. It felt as if a kunai was buried in his heart, twisted few times before being roughly plugged out.

It was a horrible emotion, something he didn't want to experience again. All because of her tears-all because of Yamanaka Ino. Something inside his chest still pulsated with pain, as if thousands needles hit him from the inside.

Awfully troublesome. Damned Ino Yamanaka, he hated her, he hated her, _HE HATED HER!_

Those were the main reasons why Shikamaru Nara hated Ino Yamanaka and (especially) her tears, with all his heart. Moreover, there was no way such intense feeling would fade again, _no chance in hell._ It got too intense, just to be a slight flicker of antipathy.

It seemed that they were destined to hate each other, as the upcoming years will show.

* * *

Ouch. Ouch and double Ouch. Just when Ino started to like Shika just a bit...he hates her more than ever. not good, eh? We'll see what future brings. Personaly, I'm quite pleased with this part. I like the flower thingy at the beginning. If you won't review, I won't update. Your choice. 


	3. Chapter 03: Misunderstandings and lies

A/N: This chapter was so hard to write! I started 3 times until I got it satisfying. And it still sucks. One of my worst pieces of writing.

I dedicate it to my favorite, smart, active members of Troublesome Love, a ShikaIno forum: **_Crystal Koneko, kk200792, Karrie, Spiritt, Valentine, IchaIchasama_**. I adore you, guys. Sorry you have such craptastic chapter dedicated to you, but, hey, all my writing are silly and stupid.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Ino-chan, shouldn't we meet up with Sakura as well?"

The blonde stiffed, looking at her female companion with a surprised look. A small, almost invisible scowl appeared and she averted her eyes to the left side of the road they were currently strolling on.

"I talked with her yesterday. Seems like she doesn't want to meet with us anymore." Ino answered curtly, ignoring the guilty thoughts.

"Why? Sakura was always so eager to join us in everything we did. What's the sudden change?" Yume, the one with long, brown hair inquired, trying to catch Ino's eyes. "Did you two have a fallout or something?"

"Well...actually, yes. A small misunderstanding." The blonde replied, shifting slightly, uneasily, the memory of yesterday still burning her heart.

_Don't try to remember. Forget it. The less you think about it, the sooner you forget._

"Wow...it's the first time in years that you two argued! About what?" The slightly tomboyish Ahiru asked, curiously watching her friend for any more details.

Slowly, forming words and sentences through the tight throat, the blonde told them everything that happened, leaving out the encounter with Shikamaru and how strongly she felt about this whole ordeal.

_A kunoichi can't be weak. Especially not in front of others. Sensei always taught us that._

When she was finished, a strange silence fell over the group. Full of unspoken things, various accusations...full of tension.

"What? Y-you don't believe me?" Ino sputtered, looking with wide eyes as her two companions exchanged doubtful glances with each other.

"Well, Ino-chan... You have to admit it doesn't suit Sakura. Are you sure you didn't overreact or imagined the whole situation?" Yume asked, trying to ease the already torn nerves of the blonde. Her words only caused tightening of small, pale hands.

"Yea. It sounds more like something you would do, Ino-chan." Ahiru added, not beating around the bush as always. Yume looked at her with slight fear, then nodded.

Ino stared at them, unable to believe the words directed at her. "You're taking her side? After everything I told you, you still defend her?"

"We're not taking anyone's side. Don't mess us into this whole 'Sasuke-kun' thing." Ahiru spoke, silencing the Yamanaka. "It was kind of irritating how you always gushed about him, anyway. You probably kept hurting Sakura with that talk of yours and now you decided to end your friendship. You were always a little selfish, Ino. Face it."

"But...You've got it all wrong..."

_He said they liked me the way I was! With my flaws and everything...He..._

"You've got it all wrong..." The soft whisper seemed to go unnoticed by her two friends.

"Sakura-chan is always so cheerful and nice. It was fun to be with her." Both, Yume and Ahiru took few steps backwards, away from Ino.

"Besides, we like Sasuke-kun as well. Maybe it's not as obsessive as your love, Ino-chan... But nevertheless, he's the most popular boy in our school." They turned their back to Ino, letting her watch them in stunned silence.

"Until you apologize to Sakura-chan...We can't be back to things like they used to be."

"Yea. If you broke your friendship with Sakura, you might as well break it with us. We like Sasuke-kun as well, you know."

Ino watched them go, new tears forming in her eyes. She narrowed blue orbs angrily.

"Fine! Then go! W-we could be great friends, even if we all liked the same boy! We could all talk about Sasuke and never get bored and when finally he would chose someone from our group, the rest would be happy! But if you really hate it that way...Then go!"

Her shout remained unanswered, single leaves and sakura petals flowing in the scenery. She sniffed, before heading home, with head proudly raised.

If they could do it, so could she. No big deal.

The pain returned.

_Shikamaru, you liar, I hate you!_

And this time there was no one to ease it.

* * *

The next morning, Ino strolled to a certain lazy genius and slapped him right in the face, putting all her hatred into that one hit. She kept yelling what a jerk he was and how she despised him, completely ignoring her hoarse throat after crying into the pillow during the last night.

Of course, the boy was too stunned and lazy to even respond to such a powerful outburst. He just kept staring at her stomping figure when she headed to the girl's bathroom, with a storm inside her mind and heart. She never noticed the mixture of deep, painful hatred in his glare, just like she never acknowledged the tightly clenched fabric, on the left side of his chest, where his heart beat.

She hated him not because he lied about those girls. She hated him because he lied about himself, liking her the way she was- which caused great pain to erupt inside her, burning with every throb of her aorta. An ache she couldn't get used to living with.

She knew that one day, no matter if she tried to keep away from him (because even then, there was the knowledge that she could always come back to him any time she needed), Shikamaru will walk away from her life forever, with no chance for her to go to him and once again hear some soothing _lies._

Nara Shikamaru will depart from her life, carrying a part of Ino with him, just like Sakura took the blonde's pure feeling towards Sasuke.

What important part of her Shikamaru would take, Ino didn't know.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is so short and crappy. Sorry for that. In the end, it's completely different from what I planned it to be. Please tell me what do you think of it- if it fits the actual story line, is everyone in-character and such. PLEASE!

The inspiration came much after reading Ino bashing on various forums. It pisses me off how people tend to ignore that Ino suffered much more than Sakura after breaking their friendship- she cried, while to Sakura, it was some kind of competition. I mean, she cried! Also, many people think that Ino broke their friendship- Well, hello, Sakura did it!

Most important of all- I apologize for the chapter. I always wondered why the girls Ino used to be friends with, weren't with her anymore- here's my sort of explanation. Crappy, I know. And the last scene- Yea, I'm aware it sucks, it's confusing and all- I know what I wanted to tell...I simply couldn't find the right words. Well, there you go there. My deepest apologies!

Note: The names of Ino's friends were made up by me. I recently watched Princess Tutu and there's the source of them.


	4. Chapter 04: Bud

A/N: No, I'm not giving up on this story! I plan to finish it, sooner or later.

I know, I haven't updated in a long time but I promise I'll try to change that. Emphasize on _'try'_. I need your reviews badly now- to know if someone's still interested in this story, if I hadn't lose my flame, muse whatever- please, leave a comment. Thank you.

Disclaimer: You know it, I know it. The world knows it. I don't own Naruto and never will. I don't want to own it- it's too... troublesome XD Therefore, I won't put the disclaimer in later chapters.

* * *

After her last friends left her, Ino wasn't so keen on making another 'lifetime' friendships. Especially that graduation was in two weeks, so they'd be split into teams nevertheless, efficiently breaking any possible bonds. 

Much to her delight, Sakura wasn't so eager to continue with hanging out with other girls as well- focusing all her time on dear Sasuke-kun and teasing Ino, boosting her own confidence when the blonde was left speechless.

Of course, Ino wasn't the one to let go so easily.

"Sasuke-kun!"

High-pitched shriek reached Shikamaru's ears and he twitched in annoyance, having his nap disturbed. The bell signalizing the end of lesson went unnoticed by his hearing system as well as Iruka's shouting, much unlike her bothersome voice.

Lazily, he raised his head and watched with mild irritation a slim blonde reaching a certain raven-haired prodigy, sitting just in front of him. Everyone else left the classroom to play outside. Except the three of them.

"I heard you got the top score on the last test, Sasuke-kun. That's soooo amazing!" Supporting his head on his arm, he watched the scene develop in front of him, with a bitter smile forming on his lips. He was glad every time Ino got silently rejected by the Uchiha kid, though he wasn't sure way. Perhaps because she was actually quiet for a long time afterwards, sulking in the corner.

"I had the same number of points, you know, Sasuke-kun? Looks like you're the best boy in our class and I'm the best girl! Isn't it fate?" She was being so loud and annoying, gushing about the infamous prodigy that he had to use all his willpower not to fire a rubber band at them _both_. It was too troublesome, anyway.

"I'm sure that, in two weeks, we'll be in the same team. The best kunoichi and the best shinobi have to be together, don't you think Sasuke-kun?" The pig was using the word 'best' too much. If she was so good, why didn't she have more extended vocabulary?

Thick silence fell in the room after her last question, to which Sasuke responded with a usual 'Hn' and turning his head towards the window.

Shikamaru watched as a hurt expression passed her face and arms fell limply to sides. Unable to help himself, he let out a humorless chuckle that seemed to arise in him since she started her 'conversation' with the other boy.

The sound didn't go unnoticed by the blonde. She narrowed her eyes, turning to the source of the noise. "What's your problem, Shikamaru?" Her shoes made a quiet sound as she walked away from the Uchiha towards him. The corners of his lips tugged upwards.

"Nothing." He answered casually, still observing her with his characteristic, lopsided grin.

She frowned and eyed him warily, clearly unbelieving. "Then why were you laughing?" Before he got a chance to respond, Ino caught a glimpse of a paper, lying on his desk. "Because of your test, perhaps?"

His arm shifted slightly to cover the mark he got and the grin fell. Ino continued, clearly using the sudden advantage she got. "I heard you were the worst, aside from Naruto, but he's an exception. Honestly, how can you expect to be a ninja if you can't even write first twenty rules of Konoha Military Force?" She threw her hands in the air, in a theatrical gesture, waiting for some kind of defense from him.

Brown eyes darkened with antipathy. "I don't need to know all these rules by heart, like some brainless twit. It's important to understand them"

Ino's cheeks colored a little, due to his intense gaze. "I'm not a brainless twit! I understand them perfectly! You're a good shinobi when you're strong enough to kill and not cry!" She looked at him triumphantly.

"Is that so? So...shinobis are emotionless killing machines to you, eh? Funny, you actually want to become like that."

For a moment, she was speechless at the maturity and truth in the statement. Slight embarrassment crept into her heart, when she realized that it was, moreover, what she had just said. "I didn't say emotionless! I was only talking about crying, that's all!"

"Crying is an inseparable part of emotions." The Nara nestled his head in his arms again, casting one, last look at the girl in front of him, before closing his eyes and preparing for another portion of sleep. "That's what makes us different." And Ino didn't know if he meant the two of them or ninja in general.

What she did know, as she watched the frown on his face decease slowly, that she hated Nara Shikamaru with burning passion.

She hated him. She hated him for always looking down on her, even when he was so clearly _wrong_! She hated him for being actually right.

Most of all, though, Ino hated Shikamaru for never acknowledging her.

Sulking, the girl was about to return slowly to her seat, stopping near Sasuke again, oblivious to the pair of small, brown eyes that followed her every movement.

Shikamaru not only _hated_ her. He deeply loathed her. He despised of her because she always went for looks and never bothered to even _try_ and look what's behind a mask people wear.

But most of all, he hated her because of the dull, burning pain she caused inside him, by pure knowledge that an average guy like him will never be good enough for her. Even if he wanted.

Which he didn't.

His musings were interrupted once again when a certain pink-haired girl entered the classroom. All three pairs of eyes turned to the door, which banged with a loud sound against the wall.

"Ino-pig! What do you think you're doing, pestering my Sasuke!" Sakura Haruno stomped towards the blonde who already moved a bit so that she was directly behind the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun is not yours, forehead! He'd rather die, just as anyone else!"

"What did you say, piggy?!"

Slim, pale arms warped around the dark blue collar. Ino bent over the desk so that her body weight rested on Sasuke's back and his chair. The boy continued to sit stiffly, with his head turned towards the window.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes when Sakura started shrieking, all the time shaking her fist at the blonde. Personally, he pitied the Uchiha. Having two loud-mouthed girls bickering straight into your ears wasn't considered as fun in his dictionary. Frankly, it was just the opposite.

Sighing painfully, the Nara put his hands tightly over his ears and placed his head on the desk, actually managing to fall into a dreamless, heavy sleep.

Ino's arms tightened on Sasuke's neck, gaining her some balance. The chair was pressed into her abdomen and it wasn't the most comfortable position yet she refused to let go.

She always felt a slight unease when she was trying to win Sasuke's attention by getting in physical contact with him. But...that was all that was left for her from her first crush, wasn't it?

A heartache and memories that once seemed to happy, now filled her with longing...All she could do now is softly land on his back and feel his body close to her- even when their hearts were so far away from each other.

It hurt, but that was all Ino had.

* * *

The walls in the Yamanaka residence shook when the door slammed with great force by the youngest resident. The one that currently stomped upstairs to, once again, closing the door with big noise, locking herself in her bedroom. 

Ino's mother emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on the apron. She sighed when muffled sobs reached her ears and slowly proceeded to climb the stairs, alarmed when the crying intensified.

The door opened, revealing Ino still in her ninja uniform, sprawled on the bed with her face buried in the soft pillow, which muffled some of her sniffles and hiccups.

Gentle hand tugged her ponytail a little, making the girl's head turn so that half of the wet face was visible.

"Well? What's up, sweetie?" The tugging was replaced by long, slim fingers combing the hair gradually.

A sob. "I-I didn't get on the same team as Sasuke..."

The second hand joined the first, efficiently removing any knots in long, blonde strands. "Oh? Then, who are your teammates?"

"Chouji Akimichi and Shikamaru Nara."

"Now, that isn't so bad, right? Your father will be very pleased. Chouji is the son of one of your father's best friends and, although you never had a chance to meet him, he's a very nice child. And you met Shikamaru already, right?" The soothing, rhythmic motion continued, calming the girl's nerves.

"Yes, I met him. And I hate him! He's nothing like Sasuke, he's... He's..." Ino's voice broke and her face got buried deeper in the pillow.

The woman sighed. "But you're not even giving him a chance. You met him once when you were little and that's it. Perhaps if you got to know him better..."

Ino's fists tightened. "I know him enough to hate. If only Sakura wasn't in Sasuke's team!"

Clearly doubtful, the older Yamanaka sighed. "Maybe it's for the better, actually. When you first confessed to me about your crush on Sasuke, I told you the history of his clan. Who knows what he might do in the future..." she paused for a moment, gently caressing her daughter's head. "He could hurt you badly later on. And I'm not talking about physical pain, too."

Ino slowly lifted herself up, staring blankly at her mother. _You have no idea, mom._

Noticing that she managed to calm her child down a bit, the older woman stood up. "Nevertheless, I urge you to give Shikamaru a chance. There's nothing you can change now, so it's better to make the most of it, right?"

Ino said nothing when her mother left, only to return a minute later.

"Here," she said, handing Ino a pair of gloves, "Think about it, alright? I know right now you're very upset...and the best way to get rid of sadness is gardening or cooking. Right now I'm in charge of cooking, so..." With a smile, she pointed to the door. "Do the south side of the garden, alright? It's terribly weeded."

With a slight sniffle, the girl dully observed thin roots of the weed, as they gradually were ripped out of the soil and were carelessly thrown onto the pile of other useless plants. All of this done by her own hands. The thick, leather gloves lay forgotten on the ground beside Ino, who stubbornly kept pulling at the plants with bare hands, already scratched so much that they were starting to bleed.

'_Shikamaru is just like a weed.'_ She thought with a bitter smile, feeling strange satisfaction when another plant was ripped out of the ground. _'Practically useless, lies all the time on the sun, unable to bloom. He only gets in the way.'_

Her slightly sweaty hands slipped on the stubborn plant and Ino landed ungracefully on her butt, staining her working clothes with more mud.

Ino sliently cursed the plant, resisitnig the urge to yell at it.

"Ino!" The sound came from a strangely small distance, the short word followed by munching. "We're going to a BBQ restaurant to celebrate being in one team. Wanna go with us?" Chouji's small eyes brightened a little at the idea. "It'd be like our first going out as a team! C'mon!"

Ino looked behind her to notice Shikamaru Nara and Chouji Akimichi stare at her from behind the fence. Her eyes studied Chouji's happy face for a moment before shifting to Shikamaru's scowling one.

She grimaced. "No. I still have a lot of work to do here. Have fun."

The plump boy's smile faded a bit when her back was turned sharply at the two of them, efficiently ending all possible discussion and persuading. He glanced at his companion, unsure what to do.

Shikamaru muttered something under his breath, before whispering to Chouji: "See? I told you she'd decline. Why bother?"

"We're a team. We're supposed to stick together." Chouji whispered back, looking nervously at the stiff, tensed back of the Yamanaka.

"Troublesome."

Another weed joined the pile and Shikamaru scratched his head, watching its' short flight. "Look, Chouji. Go alone to that restaurant, I'm not really hungry. I'll wait here."

"No way. Eating in BBQ restaurant isn't the same when you're alone. Food tastes much worse then. I'm staying as well."

The blonde's back abruptly straightened and Shikamaru smiled a bit, skillfully jumping over the fence. "Hey, Ino. Where I should start?"

She looked at them both, blue eyes unreadable. "You want to help me with the garden?"

The Nara shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know...Isn't it troublesome?" She mocked his tone, half-glaring in his direction.

Brown eyes narrowed. "It is. But there are some things that need to be done, no matter how much of a bother they are. Helping your teammate, whenever you get the chance, is one of them. Anyway, what's it to you? I'm offering to help you on my own will. If you don't want to, say a word and we'll be on our way."

Ino looked down, silently plucking out another weed, while Shikamaru looked down on her figure, analyzing the way she pulled it out. In a matter of second he was few meters away, copying her every movement.

"You might want to use these." The girl said, handing him a pair of gloves.

Shikamaru wiped small bead of sweat from his forehead. He glanced at the hand, scratched and bleeding, handing him a pair of protective gloves.

"You're not using them?"

"No."

"Then I won't use them as well. Give them to Chouji. He seems to have some trouble there." Behind him, the plump boy was struggling with a rather strong and resistant weed. Ino watched him with mild amusement.

"Chouji, here! Use those. Your hands won't be that slippery from the grease from your chips if you put these on."

"Thanks Ino! It was starting to get quite painful." With leather gloves on, the boy tensed his muscles and pulled with all his strength, causing the plant to give up with no resistance.

Unprepared for such sudden victory the surprised boy took few wobbling steps backwards, before falling into a rather large puddle, making mud fall all around the garden.

"Whoops. Sorry, guys."

"...You're lucky I was muddied before, Chouji. If it weren't for that, you'd be DEAD by now."

"...Troublesome..."

The boy laughed sheepishly, followed by his comrades' small chuckles and giggles and soon, all three of them were working together, each with their own, characteristic, small smile.

The sun steadily moved over the sky, gradually moving lower and lower, however it was just until the first stars started to shine above, Ino stood up, dirty from mud and smiling.

"Phew, that's enough for today." Her gaze traveled all over the place, with delight noticing how clean it became. "Thanks guys. We did a lot today!"

The pile of weeds was at least her height.

Shikamaru and Chouji also stood up, dusting themselves. Shikamaru stretched lazily, while Chouji's arms went to his stomach, from which a small growl could be heard.

"We'll be going. See you tomorrow, on our first team meeting, Ino."

Ino waved happily and, humming a cheerful song, entered her house, closing the door. "Mom! I'm done!"

"Ino, darling, how was your day?" Her father appeared from the kitchen, a piece of fabric in one hand and a wet plate in other. "I wanted to come to you earlier but your mom wouldn't let me, for some reason...She said something about not disturbing your work."

Ino glanced at her parent, small smile still on her lips. "Mom told you already about the teams?"

"Yes; I won't say that I'm not glad that you're with Chouji and Shikamaru... In fact, I think it's a wonderful coincidence. Although, I'm sorry you didn't get the team you wanted."

"It's fine daddy. In the end, it doesn't matter on which team I am; I'm just going to do my best and become an excellent kunoichi." Inoichi's daughter passed her father, a light spring in her steps as she slowly header for her room.

"That's my girl! I'm happy to see you that cheerful!" Her father gave her a proud look, going back to the kitchen.

Ino stopped, halfway to her room. _'That's right; I'm not sad anymore. I didn't even notice when. Could it be true that, just like mom said, hard work makes you forget about worries?'_

She glanced at the dark garden, the shadows of trees barely visible. _'Or, maybe a different reason...'

* * *

_

"So, what do you think of your team so far, Asuma?"

The bearded man scratched his cheek, looking at the fading image in the Hokage's crystal ball. "I don't know, father...I mean, Hokage-sama. Seems like a challenge to me."

"Their fathers were on one team too, you know." The older man replied, looking at his son carefully.

"I know, I heard. When it comes to techniques, I guess it is the best combination...It's their personalities I'm worried about."

"True; Yamanaka's temper and Nara's laziness don't exactly match. And Ino is much more emotional than her father."

"That boy, Shikamaru. He'll be the facade of this team." Asuma concluded, jabbing his finger at the lone figure, lying on the roof that appeared in the ball. "He'll be the link that will keep that team together."

The old man looked at his son thoughtfully. "We shall see."

* * *

A/N: Phew, that was one long chapter. Just to make it up for the last, short and awful one. for those who don't know it- Asume was the Third's son. However, he wasn't Konohamaru's father. 

Sweets for everyone who will review. R-E-V-I-E-W, I'm begging you.


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